Dancing and partying: Finnish PM takes drug test after criticism

ISLAMABAD: Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin in less than 24 hours of opponents’ criticism took a drug test on Friday when a day earlier she was dared by the opposition for the same after finding her dancing, singing and partying.

Instead of taking on the opposition and maligning it with baseless allegations, she opted to announce in a news conference in Finnish capital Helsinki that she had taken a drug test to refute allegations sparked by a video footage leaked this week, showing her dancing and partying with friends.

The act of the lady prime minister of Finland is being eulogized profusely since she acted in the manner of a neat and truthful leader. Marin, 36, faced increasing media scrutiny and pressure from political opponents after she was seen dancing in the videos with a group of friends, including celebrities, at a private residence. 

The footage emerged on Thursday, showing Marin in a nightclub dancing intimately with a man who wasn’t her husband. “I have never used drugs in my life, not even in my younger years,” Marin, who confirmed the authenticity of the leaked videos, told reporters on Friday. 

“I wish we lived in a society where my word could be trusted. But when suspicions like this were raised here, I took these tests.” She said the results were expected in “about a week”.

She’d said earlier she had been drinking alcohol and partying in a “boisterous way”. The Finnish news agency STT reported earlier that Marin was no longer on summer holiday at the time she was filmed partying with her friends with no replacement appointed to take over the premier’s duties. 

“I won’t let anyone blackmail me, in any circumstances with any material,” Marin said, reiterating that she was disappointed the video had gone public. “I had time off and spent it with my friends and did nothing illegal.”

In December, Marin faced heavy media criticism after enjoying a night in the town, knowing that she had been exposed to coronavirus.